Why People?

If believers in the God of the Bible can glorify and honor Him in all lawful and ethical enterprises, how do they know their calling? It may be where they feel right—feeling inner peace or even excitement—about their labors; it could where they feel led to serve Him or as simple as where their talents or gifts lie. But I must ask why I return again and again to photograph people and and not a different and equally engaging subject?

I return to Scripture: God and His Word to us (the Bible) are the basis of my worldview. In the Bible, God tells us Who He is (our Creator, our Savior, our Lord) and who we are (His creatures who can know Him in a personal way--He is here and He is not silent). As our creator, He knows what is best for us and explains it throughout the Bible.

In the beginning, Adam and Eve were created in His image; in His image He created us. Not in His physical image, of course, for God is spiritual. But He did create us—alone among His creatures—in His image, in His likeness. So we have some of His attributes: we are conscious beings and can think and plan and create; we do have free will (we can choose to obey God or not). Humans inherently have dignity and honor.

We do have something in us of His nature, but we are not little gods, despite what some proclaim. Observers of Man see that we cannot be gods because of our manifold shortcomings—our weaknesses, our sins: our selfishness, pride, arrogance, meanness, and willingness to hurt others. When God created Adam and Eve in His image, he created them without sin but with free moral will. Of course, they chose to exercise it, and the rest is history: now sin infects us all. We all sin through choice, and our choices will have consequences.

If we choose to not obey God, we sin, a concept largely foreign to this culture but real nonetheless. (Even after 9/11, many deny the reality of evil.) Many people feel some things are wrong...but have no real basis for those beliefs.

The Bible records the many ways man has strayed from God...and the horrible results. Other religions don't record the faults and foibles of their heroes! But the good and bad points of men and women in the Bible are exposed for all to see, for it is important that we learn from them.

What does it mean that we were created in His image, even if we are now sinners—whether forgiven or not?

Dignity: We inherently have dignity, no matter our social class. God has given this to us. Christ bids us to be perfect just as He is perfect; of course that is impossible without Him. But still we are to honor each other and to love one another!

Honor: We are to treat one another as we ourselves would like to be treated.

That we are made in His image affects me, and I am motivated to make photographs, especially of other humans: boys and girls and men and women. Oh, I can make an excellent photograph of a landscape or cityscape or an abstract or something else, but somehow the result often leaves me cold, no matter how well I execute the image and make the print. To me, people are different:

• We are made in His image. However much we have been marred as a result of sin, still His image is somewhere inside us. He desires to know us in a personal way and indeed His Son died for our sins. If we will only confess our sins and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, our sins will be forgiven and He will give us His righteousness. We will be co-heirs with Him.
• We differ from things. We are not just the highest form of evolution: we all have souls and spirits. We long for spiritual things, whether we realize it or now. We start out with consciences, though they can become dulled because of sin.
• We have a tremendous range of emotions and we are aware that we are aware, both of ourselves and others. We can communicate, on many different levels. We can create, both to delight and awe, stir and disgust.

Nothing engages me like people, in their marvelous diversity.